Rinse
by Spunky Lily
Summary: Lucius and Ivy's children, Lily and Seth, venture into the forest beyond their home, discovering the secret buried within the Elders' minds. Now, with this new found information, will Lily and Seth expose their ancestors' secret?
1. The Woods

**Author's Note:** Aye, I just got back from two weeks of camp yesterday, and I got to see _The Village_ afterwards and I absolutely loved it. Hence the writing of the fanfic. I'm working my ass off to get my other two stories updated, but in the meantime, enjoy the first multi-chapter _The Village _fic…

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**Rinse**

**Prologue: The Woods**

_"I prefer not to think of such grim business…"_

_—William, 'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' _

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A frozen gale of a breeze swept through the confides of the sleepy town, traveling through all corners and in-between the homes, the meeting hall, and all of the buildings that made up the tiny, isolated village. This wind rippled a young, fragile-looking teenage girl's cream-colored skirt as she sat on the porch of her family's home. Near the place where the beautiful fabric ended in a lacy pattern had been tainted by the soot in her father's forge. He was a blacksmith in the town, a well-respected man that went by the name Lucius Hunt. The girl was rather fond of her father, unlike many of the young women near her age of fifteen.

The North wind was a sign that displayed in nature that meant Harvest was nearly over, and winter was well on its way, and another gust blew, her long, dark red hair blowing in the air. A sprinkle of freckles still remnant from the days of summer graced her nose and cheeks, standing out against her pallid skin. Her eyes were a pale, grayish blue, inherited from her mother, but unlike her mother, she could see as well as any member of the community, if not better. She was a quiet, rather sullen girl, and that was one of the many traits her father passed onto her.

Lillian Alieke Hunt was her given name, but those who actually took their name to get to know her called her Lil, or, more commonly, Lily.

So here Lily sat, her eyes transfixed on the woods, ominous thunderclouds looming over the treetops.

"Lily?" a hand interlocked with her shoulder, and she felt her whole body convulse at the person's very touch.

"I am sorry Brennan, it's just—you gave me a fright." She explained herself, her voice still thick with her horror that lasted less than a fraction of second.

The young man, her older cousin, smiled in response, but then his smiled faded. "You have a worried look about you." Brennan observed as he, too, took a seat on the seemingly ancient planks of the porch. He tousled his dark brown hair in his fingers and listened intently and patiently. He was usually reserved, but Brennan was one who loved to consult and hear of the village residents' troubles.

"Do you ever wonder?" Lily began, her eye contact ending with her cousin, and returning to the woods. "What is beyond our borders… other than what our sight tells us?"

His complexion suddenly turned completely serious. For a mere boy only two years her senior, he acted more like a man than most of the adults in the town did, but that was just Lily's opinion. "Lillian," he said seriously, and she knew his, for he nearly ever called her by her birth name. "You know that only death surrounds our borders… if you were to ever go into those woods…" Brennan shook his head. "Lily, you know of the truce as I do… what thought in your head would prompt such a question, if you don't mind my asking?"

"Nothing," she answered distantly, her eyes still focused blankly on the forest.

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**Author's Note:** I know, I know, it's short, but it's a prologue! Review if you want more!


	2. The Shadow

**Rinse**

**Chapter One: The Shadow**

_"Livin' in the shadow_

_Of someone else's dream_

_Tryin' to find a hand to hold_

_But every touch felt cold to me…"_

_—Ashlee Simpson_

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Seth backed away from the anvil in his father's forge, his bony, slightly callused hands meeting the sheen of fresh sweat as he rested his back against the cool walls. Rain beat rhythmically against the building, soaking the entire village along with his workplace. His gray-blue eyes, identical to his twin sister and mother, were fixed upon his father, Lucius, who gave the impression that he had infinite endurance. Lucius smiled as he met his son's eyes. "Are you tired?"

"Perhaps," Seth answered in an unclear way, as he always did. His red-blonde hair, long enough to obstruct his view, was pushed away as he stared at the ground, obviously thinking. He always had his hair out his eyes when his mind was on something.

Knowing his son's ways, Lucius asked, "What is on your mind?"

He sighed, then said after a long pause, "Mother… I feel guilt… for leaving Lily to take care of her and be with her all by herself."

"Lily does not mind; she loves your mother."

"I know this," Seth replied. "But I know Lily wants more than that, as much as she despises admitting it. She is confided by the village… and our home… and I am here, your apprentice, beginning to make a life for myself."

Lucius made one of his rare expressions; a smile. Reaching out for Seth's hand, he says, "You should not be so worried for your sister. She will be fine, I promise."

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From the time that Seth was just a boy, he was fascinated by thunderstorms. But he loathed the severe ones that occurred under the shadows of the night, like the one he ventured in now. He spotted the faint light radiating from the innards of the Hunt residence, through the sleet and the rain.

He turned for a moment, swearing he saw it. The forbidden color. A brief flash, no less, but still…

Seth neared his home, making no haste as he strode up the steps. Lightning illumined the village as he fingered the door, opening it. He stepped inside quietly, knowing it was late and his sister, mother, and father were very likely to be asleep.

Seth hair clung to his face and rivulets of water covered the floor where he stood. Every inch of him was sopping wet, save for the small area he managed to keep the thick cloak, adorned with the dyes of the safe color, wrapped about. His striking face was covered with mud, and he grabbed a clean, wet part of the cloak and wiped the impurity away.

"So much for entering unnoticed."

"You're late," his twin pointed out, dressed in delicate linen night garments as she sat in a wooden chair in front of a roaring fire. Lily smiled, adding, "I think it is safe to assume this storm is rather harsh."

Seth hung his dripping cloak up and began to shiver violently, nodding, "You can bet your life it is."

Suddenly, a scream filled their ears, the hairs on the back of their necks rising up. Its source was from the outside. Seth's complexion couldn't develop a frightened look, so his alternative was with seriousness. He clothed himself with his cloak once more, announcing, "I am going back out there."

Lily got up, catching his hand. "Not without me." She, too, put on her cloak with the threads of the safe color running thick and dry upon it, to her brother's horror.

"Lil—"

"I am not allowing you to go out there on your lonesome," Lily interrupted thickly, a thing most women in the village did not do, especially to the men. "_I_ am going with you."

Seth sighed, and the pair wordlessly departed into the depth of the storm. The scream repeated.

"This way," he led his sister on into the darkness, and after what seemed like a very long time, they arrived at a lone tree near their grandfather's home. Seth and Lily simultaneously gasped, and this time, Lily shrieked.

A person, unidentifiable in these conditions, was nailed to the tree by their toes, skinned and dead. The being was covered in blood, and from their outfit, the person was probably a male.

"You did this!" Brennan pointed to Seth, approaching the pair from behind. "Murderer!"

Other curious villagers, including Edward Walker, now ventured from their homes.

"He is innocent!" Lily argued through the noise of the tempest. "We just heard a scream, and came to this place!"

Brennan's eyes narrowed, "Keep your tongue behind your teeth, Lillian Hunt," he hissed.

Lily opened her mouth to continue the debate, but she noticed something. Seth was gone.

_He has fled to the woods…_

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**Author's Note: **Another short chapter, I know… 


End file.
